


Thief of the Wild

by transparentnightduck



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: F/M, OCs are minor charaters, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Burn, Talking Link, by slow burn I mean they don't officially meet until chapter 6, other characters to be added - Freeform, reader and link are sassy af, reader is a thief, the champions and zelda are in this but they're minor so im not tagging them
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-14
Updated: 2018-09-08
Packaged: 2019-05-22 00:15:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 17,339
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14925725
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/transparentnightduck/pseuds/transparentnightduck
Summary: The day was temperate and the sun was high. Link had nothing better to do so he thought he could help some villagers and take out a monster stronghold that was nearby in the woods. Too bad someone got there before him.





	1. Shenanigans

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first fanfic I've ever written. I'm making stuff up as I go along. There is no set plot/plan for this fic. I hope you enjoy! :)

Link’s POV: Chapter 1

 

The day was temperate and the sun was high. Link had nothing better to do so he thought he could help some villagers and take out a monster stronghold that was nearby in the woods. The villagers had told him that the monsters were red and would sneak into the village at night and steal the livestock.  
Easy, Link thought. He could just go in blazing and wreck the place, or he could sneak in as quiet as a snake. Link decided that taking it slow and quiet was better than drawing attention to himself.  
As Link was making his way through the woods listening for Bokoblin grunts and smelling for roasting steak on a fire, he was making his plan. Since he had already decided that stealth was the easiest way, he had to make a plan. Taking out the surveyors first was best, Link thought. Just hiding out in the bushes with a quick arrow to those high beasts was going to be easy.  
Link was practically on autopilot while making the game plan. His feet effortlessly shuffled through the undergrowth. Moving silently and with a considerable amount of grace. Fluid movements without making any noise. A perfect hunter, but it wasn’t animals Link was hunting today.  
In the distance, Link could hear faint grunts of Bokoblins and the smell of roasting steak that was soon to be his. He approached a bush and crouched and moved some leaves aside. There were three Bokoblins and they were dancing around the steak. Celebrating more likely. There were no platforms, but one. That one platform had a chest on it. Yes, Link thought, a prize for beating these monsters.  
Link grabbed the bow off his back and nocked an arrow into the bow. He took a deep breath and aimed. Breath in and thump. The Bokoblin on the left fell to the ground and disappeared into purple smoke, dropping a horn. The other two remaining Bokoblins jumped in surprise and started to sniff the area where their brother took a fall. Link probably had only one more stealth kill before being noticed by the remaining Bokoblin. He notched another arrow, released, thump and the second Bokoblin was dead. The last remaining Bokoblin jumped and made a mad dash towards his bat. The red monster stood there, swinging its head side-to-side trying to look for the one responsible for killing its fellow kind. Another stealth kill, Link thought. Link took another arrow out of his quill and the last thing he knew, the last Bokoblin was dead, a single tooth left behind. The chest that was sitting on the platform turned gold, indicating his victory.  
Before Link could even get up from his crouching position, a figure dressed in muted greens and browns swooped down from the trees. It rushed towards the steak.  
“Hey!” Link shouted.  
The figure didn’t even skip a beat after grabbing the steak and making a b line towards the chest. No, Link thought, that is MINE. Instead of notching a regular arrow, Link decided to use a fire arrow. Nearly every enemy he’s used these on died or shook in fear. Link released the arrow and it hit the right pole holding up the platform. It was no good because the mysterious thief was already looting the chest! It only took a second for the thief to get the loot from the chest. And another second to dash into the woods.  
“No!” Link shouted, “get back here!”  
It was no use, the thief was long gone by now. The only thing Link could get out of this was the single horn and tooth dropped by the fallen monsters. Unless those were taken as well, he thought. 

Reader’s POV: Chapter 1

 

Holy shit, you thought, that was insane. The way that guy hid in the bush and stealth killed those Bokoblins? Totally epic. You did feel a little bad for stealing the loot he earned, but… But what? The guy had the royal emblem on his shield, he was well off. Could be a soldier or a royal mercenary or something. Or if he wasn’t, those types of shields aren’t cheap either. And plus, he had some major skill with that bow. That meant he could hunt for food. So you didn’t feel bad at all...nope.  
You had stopped running and had come to a confident saunter. If that guy had been following you, he was eating your dust right now. No point in running when you’re not being chased. The nearest town was about two miles away and your house was further. Considering you didn’t have any rupees on you at the moment, you decided it was best that you headed towards your house.  
As you looked up, the sun was much lower than when you entered that forest.  
“Shiiiiit! I better hurry my ass up or Roma will kill me,” you said with a quiet tone.  
You saw a path up ahead and walked towards it. It lead to the house! You leaped into a light jog laughing a little. Roma might yell at you, but wait until she sees the haul you’ve dragged up today!  
As you approached the house, there was smoke coming out of the chimney and the goats gave a little greeting bleat as you passed their pen.  
“Why hello to you too, Nova,” you said playfully as she bleated to you.  
You opened the door and oh. Not more Endura Carrot soup. The stench assaulted your nose and you grimaced.  
“Well, well, well, look who’s back. If you hate Endura Carrot soup so much, why don’t you go out and get something yourself?” Roma demanded as you walked in.  
“I did, hope you like steak stolen off a roasting spit of a Bokoblin camp!!” You said in an overly cheery tone that was definitely sarcastic.  
“You. Did. What,” Roma said in a deadpan tone, the look of murder in her eyes.  
“I just stole the steak and the loot, some other fancy Hyrule royal took care of the monsters,” you said as you set your bag down pulling out said loot.  
“Well, those royals better not come marching in here demanding your head on a stick for irking them,” Roma joked.  
You gave Roma the steak so she could put it in the soup and went up to your room. The sun was setting and it was as beautiful as it was every day. You couldn’t decide which was better, the sunrises or the sunsets. The sun rises came up from the two Necluda mountains and the sunsets set on Mount Lanayru.  
As you were pondering such things, the sun slowly finished setting and you drifted to sleep ever slowly.


	2. Investigations and Dreams

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unfortunately, Link's POV is much longer than Reader's in this chapter. I'm sorry, I couldn't make Reader's longer without being unhappy with it. To make up for it, I might make Reader's POV in chapter 3 longer, or Link's and Reader's first meeting entertaining, though it depends on what you find entertaining. :) I had fun writing this chapter and I hope you have fun reading it! :D

Link’s POV: Chapter 2

With his head down and feet dragging, Link let out a defeated sigh. How could this happen? He had just taken out those Bokoblins like he’s been doing it since he could walk. So how? Why? At that moment, an idea struck Link. He quickly turned around and sprinted to the spot where the thief had leapt from the tree to steal his loot.   
The tree was larger than most of the trees in this forest. The trunk was thicker and it was a little bit taller. As Link circled the tree, he came upon indents. These indents looked like they were footholds to climb. Link then started to climb the tree. When he got to the top, there was a flat part where it looked like it was visited quite often. It was clean, for a tree. He looked around and saw a stick resting on a branch with a string tied to it at the top. There was a hook at the end of the string. Fishing? Link thought, no, much too basic. He decided to take it.   
Link had looked around and decided he was satisfied with his findings, when he noticed a brown lump near the edge of a branch. It was a bag! Link threw the flap back and looked inside. There were a couple of apples, some Hylian Wheat, and one flint piece. Hmm, how strange. But whatever, he didn’t have time to ponder over what these materials could mean and he had an idea.   
As Link rode into Hateno Village, the locals stopped what they were doing to ogle at him. The official appointed knight of the princess? In their village? More likely than they think. He wanted to visit Purah to ask her about what had happened in the woods a few hours ago, to see if she knew about this thief.   
While passing the lanterns with the blue flames in them, Link was pondering the reasons why that thief had gotten the upper hand on him. Old age? No, can’t be. Was he just not into it today? Maybe. Who knew? Well, certainly not him.   
Link didn’t even get a chance to dismount his horse before Purah burst from the laboratory door shouting at him.   
“Liiiiink! Hyrule’s Championnnnnn! You’ve finally come to visit me!” Purah shouted at the top of her lungs while running towards Link.   
“Um, yeah, about that…,” Link trailed off sounding guilty.   
“Don’t tell me you just need something and will just be riding off like you always do!” Purah said in a miffed fashion.   
Link gave a grimace of guilt in response.   
“Ugh, okay okay, whatever. It better be quick though, I’m busy,” Purah said in a casual tone with her hands on her hips.  
As Link and Purah walked inside and her assistant, Symin, offered them tea, Link explained what had happened to him in the woods.   
“Very peculiar…,” Purah trailed off in a contemplative manner.   
“You know...that thief sounds exactly like the one that robbed me last week,” Symin said.  
“Wait, this thief robbed you?! Did they threaten?! With violence?!” Link exclaimed in surprise and rising anger.  
“Symin’s just making mountains out of molehills, go on and tell him the truth,” Purah said.  
“Fine. I was just picking some apples because Purah was craving some. I picked the ones I could reach without climbing the tree first and put them in a basket. When I climbed down from the tree with the last apple, all of the apples in the basket were gone! And I saw someone with brown clothes, a brown bag, and a hood running away from me. I thought nothing of it until an apple fell out of their bag. That’s when I knew they stole from me,” Symin explained.   
“The clothes you described looked exactly like the ones the thief was wearing when they stole the loot I earned,” Link said with a thoughtful expression.  
“You should go ask Pruce, he’s the general store owner and can tell you a lot more about this thief than we can,” Purah said.   
“Alright. I’ll see you later, Purah,” Link said as he got up and walked towards the laboratory door.  
“Visit me! Or else I’ll have to test the remote control function on the Sheikah Slate we’ve been working on! Would be a shame if it were to take a picture at the wrong moment…,” Purah said with an evil smile and a sinister nature.   
“BYE!” Link shouted as he slammed the door.   
Geez, why does she have to be so creepy? Link thought while making his way towards his horse. As he approached Epona, she gave a whinny of greeting. Link smiled and gave her an apple, then mounted. He needed to see this Pruce. 

 

Reader’s POV: Chapter 2

“(Y/N)”  
“Hello?” you said, frightened.  
“(Y/N),” the same voice, but more distant.  
“What- what do you want?” you said, voice shaking.  
“(Y/N), you are destined for-,” the voice cut off and the scene around you changed.  
You were just in a black and dense forest, now you were in the dark and cold ocean.   
“Hello?! Anybody? Help!” you were terrified. Not of the ocean necessarily, but of what could lie hidden underneath the dark and murky waters. You loved to swim, practically a Zora when you were little, but now? You only knew fear and panic. The sky was a muted orange and there was a hurricane in the distance. There was a storm, but the waters were strangely calm for a storm. But this was a dream, and the rules of reality were nothing but a laughing stalk here.   
“Please,” you were sobbing at this point,”I want to go home. I want out of here!” you said, the last part a command.   
Luckily, the dream gods were feeling merciful today. You blinked and instead of nothing beneath your feet, there was grass. You were kneeling in a meadow. The sky was blue, with not a cloud in sight, and the sun shining brightly. Very green and healthy looking trees surrounded this peaceful field. Deer were grazing, butterflies were floating, and birds were singing. You looked down and were wearing a white sundress. You felt something on your head and there was a crown of flowers. You took it off to examine it. Your favorite flower looked like it was the main focus for this head wreath, with little clumps of Baby’s Breath interspersed, a few green leaves too.   
You put it back on and surveyed the area. Nothing suspicious at all. A little strange, you thought. As you were looking around more, a doe approached you. You looked into its green eyes, it stared back.   
“(Y/N),” the doe said.  
“Uhhhh, yeah…?” you questioned.  
“There will come a day when you will have to make a choice between all you have known, and what you have not,” the doe said, deadpan.  
“Okay…?” you said. What’s the deal with this doe?  
“The path you choose will determine your fate,” the doe said with finality, “goodbye.”


	3. Concern and Nicknames

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I actually balanced the lengths of Reader's and Link's POVs! Hope you enjoy! :)

Reader’s POV: Chapter 3

“(Y/N)!!” Roma shouted as she slammed the door and walked into the house, “ get your sniveling little ass down here!”  
Why would Roma be so angry? You’ve done nothing to irk her. So what’s the big idea?  
“Yeah, Roma? What is it?” you shouted down from your bedroom still getting ready for the day.   
“Get. Your. Ass. Down. Here. This. Fucking. Instant,” Roma said with deadly calm.  
Oh shit. Nobody crosses Roma when she takes on that tone and says the word “fuck”. You rushed downstairs in a hurry.   
“Yes?” you asked in the most polite and respectful tone you’ve ever spoken in your life.   
“What the hell is this?” Roma asked holding up a piece of paper.  
“That looks like a wanted poster ma’am,” you said. You might have been a little too sarcastic but you couldn’t help it. You had a problem with authority!  
“Don’t you dare get smart with me, young lady. I mean, what are your clothes doing in the picture?” You could tell her patience with you was running thin.   
“Probably because the picture is me?” You said.  
“I told you to be careful, (Y/N),” Roma said with concern.  
“No one ever has seen my face, Roma,” you stated.   
“You’re right, but…,” she trailed off with concern on her face.   
“I’ll be more careful, okay? Trust me,” you said.   
“Okay, I worry for you, ya know? You’re like the sister I’ve never had, but have always wanted,” she said. “Now go out there and do our chores. I’m sitting back and relaxing today after all this stress you’ve caused me.”  
“Ugh, whatever,” you complained as you walked out the door. Sure, Roma’s a good roommate, but she can be a bit naggy sometimes.  
Walking past the goat pen, Nova gave a bleat of inquiry.   
“No food yet, Nova, you gotta wait until I’ve fed the Cuccos. You know how they can get.”  
After feeding the Cuccos and Nova the goat, you set about on the rest of your chores. The day passed by slowly when you were doing your chores. And your mind tended to wonder during that time. While doing the mundane, you thought about your more… rambunctious shenanigans. Which includes, but not exclusive to, thieving.   
Like what happened to you yesterday. You let that guy pick off those Bokoblins and then swooped in and took the loot that was rightfully his. He wouldn’t have actually wanted it, would he? It was just some food and a piece of amber from the chest. A dude of his caliber looked like he fought silver monsters on the regular. The more you thought about it, the more guilty you started to feel. But why, it was just a steak and amber piece, not a Hearty Durian and a sapphire. You kept it petty like you always do.   
You could hear a faint sound that was getting louder and louder. As you listened for a little longer, the sound was identifiable. Hoofbeats. You turned around and it was him!! The guy that you stole his loot from! He was riding right by your house on the path right next to it. You hid. But why were you hiding? He didn’t see you yesterday, you’re not even wearing your thieving clothes, so it’s not like he’ll recognize you anyways. But before you could do anything more, he was out of sight and the echoing hoofs were getting more and more distant. It had looked like he was in a hurry. Whatever, with him gone, there’s less for you to worry about. 

 

Link’s POV: Chapter 3

Link woke up to the peaceful dawn from the Hateno Village Inn. The sun was shining through the window right onto his bed, warming the sheets. Link grumbled. He didn’t want to get up. It was sooooo comfy. But he had a thief to discuss with Pruce.   
Link got up with a grunt and immediately started to lace on his shoes. He then combed and tied back his blond hair. As he walked by the front desk, Prima greeted him.  
“Hello Link, I hope you’ve enjoyed your stay. Come again!” she said.   
“Sure hope not,” Link said without even thinking.  
“What’s that supposed to mean?” She sounded offended. Well, the cat’s out of the bag now, so might as well tell her.  
“I’m investigating this local thief I guess,” he said.   
“Oh, you mean Spirit Stride. All they do is petty theft. But it has gotten out of hand lately. I wouldn’t be surprised if they’d already stolen something from everybody at this point,” Prima explained.   
That sounded very troubling to Link. The fact that every resident of this village has been a victim of this petty theft was peculiar.   
“Well, I hope you catch them, and the best of luck!” Prima said cheerfully.   
Link let out a hum of acknowledgment as he walked out of the door. He made his way down the steps and started towards the General Store. He had some questioning to do.  
Pruce was cleaning the counter of his shop when Link walked in.   
“Hello, Link! What can I do for ya?” Pruce asked Link as he approached the counter.   
“I want to talk about this thief that’s apparently been bothering everyone around here. Nicknamed Spirit Stride?” Link said, unsure of himself.  
“Who?”  
“You know the thie-”  
“Oh, you mean The Coyote?” Pruce said, interrupting Link, “yeah, they’re pretty nasty. A few nights ago, they stole a couple of Endura Shrooms. Nothing to get too worried about, but still…,” Pruce trailed off sounding downtrodden.   
“Wait, The Coyote? Prima said it was Spirit Stride,” Link said, confused.  
“No one can agree on a nickname for the thief around here, so we just call them by our own nicknames that we come up with, that’s why the wanted poster for them doesn’t have a name on it,” Pruce explained.   
“Okay…. How many times has your store been robbed since this thief started to stir up trouble?” Link asked. At this point, with these kinds of questions, he was opening an official investigation, but he didn’t care. It was his hometown after all.   
“Once, but then again, every store around here has been robbed once by that hooligan. However, I do suspect this bandit to target my shop soon,” Pruce said.   
At this point, Link couldn’t tell if he was investigating for the sake of catching the thief and handing them over, learning about the foe to take them down, or out of spite. After all, the thief stole from him too.   
“It would be a good idea to maybe set up a trap or two after you close for the night,” Link implied.   
“Well, butter my biscuits, I wish I had thought of that!” Pruce exclaimed.   
“Are you mocking me?” Link said with all seriousness.  
“No, I genuinely hadn’t thought of that. Says a lot about how I’m just a simple shopkeep and you’re the Princess’ appointed knight,” Pruce said. “Speaking of the Princess, shouldn’t you be with her or something? You’ve been here for a little less than 24 hours.”  
Oh shit, Link thought. He’d forgotten?? About the Princess??? How????  
“The expression on your face says it all, Link, better get to it,” Pruce seemed amused.   
“This investigation isn’t over, though, I will catch them,” Link declared as he ran out of the door.


	4. A New Friend

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is entirely Reader's POV and is longer than usual. I hope you enjoy! :)

Reader’s POV: Chapter 4

Thieving wasn’t the only adventurous thing you did, you also explored. Exploring often led you to things that couldn’t be taken without major consequence. Like seeing a sparkle in a dull river, or under rocks. Hidden treasures only worthy enough to be found by those searching. Some nights you thieved, others you explored.   
Tonight was one of those exploring nights. You had thieved from every place in Hateno village. They would be onto you, so might as well be cautious. Plus, you were itching to explore the field of fallen Guardians. All those parts free for the taking, a thief's dream come true.   
Getting there was the true struggle, though. It was far away, but you had heard that there were a couple of herds of wild horses that roamed it. Maybe after some scavenging, you could tame one, didn’t sound too hard.   
As you were making your way down the path towards the Blatchery Plain, you heard hoof steps behind you. I could hitchhike, you thought. But then you realized, what if it was a stalhorse behind you, it was night after all. As you turned around, you were preparing yourself to come face to face with the purple-eyed, bony creature, instead, you met the kind gaze of a blue-spotted mare.   
“Hello, there stranger! Would you like a ride to wherever you’re going on this fine night?” The woman on the horse asked.  
“Sure,” you said, a bit wary. Once you climbed onto the back of the horse, you took a closer look at the woman. Her hair was up in a signature bun, she was wearing a lot of gold bracelets and rings, and tall. She was a Gerudo! At that realization, you let out a gasp.  
“That’s right, I am a Gerudo! From the Gerudo Desert myself. My name’s Ateri, what’s yours?” She asked.  
“I’m (Y/N), also, how did you guess that I realized your Gerudo?” You asked, somewhat creeped out by her intuition.  
“Well first off, you gasped while ogling me. Secondly, I get those kinds of reactions a lot. A Gerudo? This far east? You bet. I wanted out of the desert, always hot, always sunny, rarely a cloud in the sky. It gets boring after awhile. Then I heard about how varied the climate is here, I packed traveling stuff immediately and was off,” Ateri explained. “Also, where are you headed?”  
You were about to speak the truth of your intentions but then stopped yourself. You couldn’t just say you were going to loot the dead Guardians, that might tip her off that you were a thief. If she’s been in this area for a little more than a day, she could already know about the fabled thief that lurks around at night. You decided to say a partial truth.  
“I don’t have a horse, so I wish to tame one from the Blatchery Plain, ”you said, “makes good use.”  
“How fortunate, I’m going that way as well,” Ateri stated, “though have you ever tamed a horse before? Or even know how to? If not I could teach you and maybe even help you,” she offered. This Gerudo woman was being so kind to me, you thought. Why? She’s offering to help you tame a horse and you were lying to her. The guilt compelled you.  
“Well, I guess I could use some advice. But I have to say that the main reason why I’m headed that way is to loot the fallen Guardians,” you said.   
“How brave of you. Since visiting this area, I’ve heard lots of talk about many people intending to loot these Guardians, but none of them do. Apparently, it is rumored that there is but one Guardian that is still active but sleeps until a foe approaches. I guess this rumor is strong enough to keep away the average person, but you’re not the average person, are you?” Ateri gave a knowing look across her shoulder to you.   
Did she know? She couldn’t though, you weren’t wearing your usual thief costume. You were dressed in clothes that an average traveler would wear. You decided that you weren’t going to lose this mind game.   
“Well, Ateri you better watch those pretty golden trinkets of yours. There’s a thief in this land that likes to come out at night,” you warned with a matter of fact attitude. She gave a chuckle in response.   
The two of you continued on in silence, it seemed like the conversation was over. But you couldn’t shake the feeling that she knew something. Or was she just playing mind games with you? Maybe she, herself was a thief and was planning to steal from you. But you realized you have nothing of value on you, just some apples and a mostly empty bag.   
“I know you’re itching to ask me, so go ahead,” Ateri said, breaking the silence.  
“What was with that look you gave me earlier? And why did you say I wasn’t the average person? You don’t know anything about me,” you said with scorn.  
“You have the look of one who desires adventure or more than what you live with. How do I know? Well, I used to have that same look,” she stated.   
“Used to? What happened?” You asked. She better not say that she grew up or some bullshit, you thought.  
“I acted upon my ambitions. I wanted to leave the desert to visit different lands, and I did. I do not regret it a single bit,” Ateri said, “whatever opportunities you get to leave this land, chase them,” she finished. “Well, it looks like we have arrived at your destination, (Y/N),” Ateri said as she stopped the horse at the Fort Hateno entrance, “if you still plan on taming a horse, the best thing to do is to not let go.”  
“Thank you for the ride,” you said as you dismounted.  
“Thank you, (Y/N). For the pleasant company, not something I find to be plentiful around here,” Ateri joked. She then reached inside a satchel that was hanging from her shoulder. “I noticed that you do not carry a weapon and that can be dangerous, especially at night when monsters lurk. Here is a blade from my home, I hope it provides use. It is called a Moonlight Scimitar” Ateri said as she handed it to you. “May we cross paths soon.” Ateri began to depart when she suddenly stopped. “Oh, and before I forget, the sleeping Guardian is the one right there,” she said, pointing to a Guardian in the corner between the fort and the mountain.   
“Thank you!” You shouted after her as she urged her horse into a gallop towards the Dueling Peaks Stable.   
Your back turned to Fort Hateno, you surveyed the field of dead Guardians, wondering where to start. There were just so many. And to think that all but one was dead. You headed for the nearest Guardian to your left and started to search around it for fallen parts.   
After what seemed like only a few minutes, you looked up at the sky. It was starting to lighten, indicating dawn was not too far behind. You looked into your bag. It was practically overflowing with Ancient Screws and Gears. You looked over to a group of wild horses that you were keeping your eye on throughout your plundering.  
There was a brown mare, a black and white spotted colt, and a blue mare. You started to sneak towards the group, your sight set on the horse that was going to be yours. When you were halfway there, your foot landed on a twig and it snapped. The group of horses whinnied in panic, bucked and fled away from you.   
How could you be so careless? One of those horses was supposed to go home with you. You huffed in agitation. You turned around, intending to go home when a there was a flicker of black in the corner of your eye. You turned your head and standing there, grazing, was a black stallion.   
Your eyes practically popped out of your head and your jaw dropped in awe. That horse was going to mine, you thought. You studied the surroundings of the stallion, forming a plan to get the jump on it. There were a couple of trees near it. You decided the best action was to climb a tree and jump directly onto it.   
You began to sneak towards the tree, more aware of your surroundings than last time. When you got to the tree, you peeked around the trunk to admire the stallion. You were pretty much hypnotized by its might. The moonlight reflected off of its smooth flank. Its mane had grown into its eyes, shielding it from noticing you. You were anxious to make this horse yours, no matter what it took.   
You climbed the tree quietly, not even daring to let out the slightest huff. When you got to the top and looked down, the horse was right below you. Now or never, you thought. Then you jumped.  
You landed on the horse and it gave a startled whinny, then it started to buck. You wrapped your arms around its neck and held on for dear life. This horse was going to be yours. It was will against will. But who’s was strongest? Your stamina was starting to run out and your arms were getting tired and were hurting. The horse was also starting to wear out. Then you had an idea.  
“I promise to never cage you in a stable. I promise to let you graze in the wildest fields. I promise to be your companion, never your master!” You shouted. Then your arms gave out and you fell off of the stallion. You hit the ground, defeated.  
As you lay there, wallowing in your failure, you heard rustling. You looked over and saw the stallion trying to nose open your bag. It must have smelt the apples. You sighed.   
“First you beat me, now you want my food? Fine. Whatever,” you said as you got up to get the apples. You opened the bag and held out an apple; the horse ate it. You slung your bag over your shoulder and made your way towards the road.   
You heard hoofs behind you and turned around. The stallion was following you.   
“I’m not gonna give you more apples. Now shoo,” you said as you waved your hand at it. The horse threw its head in a playful fashion and grunted. You got an idea.   
“Okay, fine. You can have the rest of my apples,” you said as you retrieved the apples from your bag. You set them on the ground and backed up. The horse went to them and started to eat. You slowly walked around to the back of the horse and hopped on the back of it. No reaction except a small whinny. After the horse was done eating the apples, it lifted its head and looked at you. You swear it was giving you the “where to now?” look.   
You pointed to the Fort Hateno road. The horse started to canter towards it. I have a horse now, you thought. And this horse needed a name, but what?   
“What should I name you, horse?” You asked. It whinnied.   
“I’ll name you (Y/P/N),” you stated. (Y/P/N) whinnied in agreement.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y/P/N = Your Pet's Name. If you do not have a pet or don't want the horse's name to be your pet's name, use whatever name you want.


	5. Relationships

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's a bit shorter, I'm sorry. But I hope you enjoy! :)

Reader’s POV: Chapter 5

While you were getting ready for the day, you noticed that it was strangely quiet. Usually, Roma was down in the kitchen making breakfast and a ruckus. Not this morning, though. You left your room and were making your way down the stairs.  
“Roma! Where are you? It’s unusually quiet,” you questioned. When you got to the bottom of the stairs, you turned to the living room and Roma was standing in front of the window and staring out of it with an awestruck expression on her face. You went over to the window to see what she was staring at. It was (Y/P/N). He was casually grazing beyond the goat pen.   
“You like?” You asked Roma in a teasing way. She slowly turned to face you with the most confused expression you’ve ever seen.  
“What, how, and why?” Roma asked.  
“I can explain the how and the why, but not the what. I don’t know what the ‘what’ means,” you said, walking away to go brew some tea.   
“That’s a black stallion. Outside the house. Grazing on our property. Without a saddle and a stern,” Roma slowly informed.   
“Quite observant of you, Roma. You should be a detective, they make good rupee,” you mocked, having a little fun with her confusion.  
“Okay, you know what? The fact that you’re being so casual about this and that you have a shit eating grin on your face means that you know what’s up with the stallion eating our wildflowers,” Roma complained while walking into the kitchen.   
“First of all,” you started, sounding fake offended, “his name is (Y/P/N). Secondly, I sort of but not really tamed him. I tried to, but he threw me off, ate my apples, and let me ride on his back to here. I also tried to tie him up to make sure monsters wouldn’t get him, but he wasn’t having it,” you explained. Roma didn’t look impressed.  
“I really hope he’s not someone else’s horse.”  
“Excuse me? How DARE you? As if I, the Great and Powerful Spirit Stride, couldn’t tame a stallion?” You were totally offended, not jesting at all. Roma rolled her eyes and started to pull potatoes out of the pantry.   
“Whatever, I’m not going near that wild thing or paying to feed it,” she jabbed her finger at you.  
“You say that now, but what will you say when I save up for a plow and create a field to mass produce Hylian Rice and have (Y/P/N) pull said plow? Hmm?” You said, semi-serious.   
“(Y/N), you’re giving me a headache. Why don’t you go into town and go buy some birds eggs because we’re out,” Roma sighed with a defeated expression on her face.   
“Fine. Bye,” your tone was short, but you didn’t care. You were out of the door before she could take back her statement.   
You went out to steal things nobody would miss selling to help your livelihoods, and this is what you get? Roma saying she has a headache and kicking you out? Whatever, you had (Y/P/N) now. He appreciated your company.   
As you approached him, he gave a whinny and bobbed his head in greeting.  
“Why hello to you too, (Y/P/N). I hope you’re up to going into town and being ogled at by a bunch of people who’ve never seen a stallion quite like you before,” you said, cheery. He grunted in response.   
You could have made him sprint or gallop on the road to Hateno Village, but you didn’t want to see Roma yet. Instead, you put him in a canter, enjoying the scenery. It was early, so the day was cool. There was a slight breeze, which made it even better. The air was crisp and you took a deep breath.   
The fact that you had a horse now, not even mentioning a stallion, made getting to Hateno Village less worrisome. Mostly because hiding behind tall grass and rocks off of the road, were Bokoblins waiting to get the jump on unsuspecting travelers. That’s why a lot of people travel with horses because monsters can’t chase them. Before getting (Y/P/N), you would just take mental note of where the Bokoblins would hide and sneak past while they were sleeping. It worked….98 percent of the time. The other 2 percent you’d just pray to Hylia and run like hell.   
Thinking of Bokoblins, you were coming upon one that hid behind a rock.  
“I hate to be the bearer of bad news (Y/P/N), but there is a monster behind that rock that would love to attack us. Would be so kind as to start sprinting?” You asked nicely. He grunted and shook his head and continued in a canter.  
“Okay, but when we’re in the afterlife, you can’t get mad me. OK?” You snarked. As you two came upon the rock, a blue Bokoblin jumped out from behind it and started towards you. (Y/P/N) reared on his hind legs and kicked his front ones into the air. You fell off onto your back. (Y/P/N) used the momentum of his body to bring his hooves down on the Bokoblin. The Bokoblin gave a terrified shriek and was suddenly a cloud of purple smoke. He had stomped on the Bokoblin.   
You looked up into his eyes. He looked over and trotted to you, lowered his head and started to gently nudge you with his muzzle. He was also gently neighing. He was making sure I was okay, you thought. You reached up to pet him.  
“I’m okay, (Y/P/N). All thanks to you. My brave stallion,” you cooed. At your cooing, he grunted, shook his head and turned his back to you.   
“Aw come on! We were having a bonding moment!” You complained.


	6. The Meeting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is shorter than the last one, I think. Otherwise, I hope you enjoy.

Link’s POV: Chapter 6

Link had gone to Hyrule Castle for the one thing he’s paid for: watching over and protecting the Princess. Upon learning of a thief plaguing Hateno Village, he spent more time than he should have there. When he had gotten to the Castle, he learned that the Princess took a sudden trip to the Gerudo Desert to discuss some things with Urbosa.  
Well at least I won’t have to work, he had thought. And left the Castle to go back to Hateno Village right away. Of course, the King had urged him to stay or go to the Gerudo Desert to look after the Princess, but Link figured that she’d be safe in Urbosa’s hands.  
Now, he was in Pruce’s shop rigging some traps that hopefully would catch the thief, as Pruce had expressed his concerns that the thief would strike his shop soon.  
“Ah Link, I couldn’t thank you enough for doing this,” Pruce said as he brought in more materials.  
“No problem. I just hope this trap catches the thief. I’m surprised they didn’t strike last night,” Link pondered.  
“Either the thief is really smart for not doing anything, or they’re just bored. I hope they’re not bored, because if they were, who knows what other things they’d do,” Pruce said with great concern. Link just hummed in reply, more focused on his task than his conversation with Pruce.  
He had been trying to come up with an idea for a trap for a while, nothing really sounding the best. It was only when he finally sat down with Pruce, Sayge, Sophie, and Prima to discuss possible traps that would work. He didn’t want one that would harm the thief too bad. The others, however, were on a different page. Until they came up with the idea of a trap that would expose, not harm or capture.  
The idea was that upon walking into a tripwire, the thief would activate a bucket that had brightly colored dye in it to fall and stain their clothes. Sophie would then catalog all customers that would come into her shop to buy new clothes as suspects.  
As Link was finishing up the last touches on the trap, the shop door opened. He turned around to see a girl. She had (YHC) hair, (YEC) eyes, and was wearing some muted green and brown clothes. She was also staring right at him, surprised.

 

Reader’s POV: Chapter 6

 

“Uhh, can I help you?” the guy you were staring at asked.  
“Um, uh, I’m looking for Pruce,” you said, not nervous at all. It was him! The guy that killed those Bokoblins! He was here! In Pruce’s shop! Doing who knows what!  
“Pruce! You got a customer!” The guy shouted to Pruce who you assumed was upstairs.  
“Hello, (Y/N)!” Pruce greeted as he was walking down the stairs, “what can I get for you?”  
“I want some birds eggs,” you stated, trying to ignore the blond guy looking at you.  
“Great! You know Roma makes some of the best eggs you’ve ever tasted? Well of course you know, you live with her!” Pruce laughed.  
“Haha, yeah she does. I’ll also need some Hylian Rice,” you said.  
“Hylian Rice?” Pruce paused, “didn’t you buy some earlier this week?”  
“Yeah, but we got another mouth to feed. At least I hope he eats Hylian Rice, otherwise, I can’t just keep feeding him apples,” you explained.  
“This other mouth to feed wouldn’t happen to be a black stallion, would it?” The blond guy asked, butting into the conversation. Oh shit, you thought. He was onto you. You were wearing the exact clothes that you wore when you took his loot. You were practically done for.  
“Because that’s pretty impressive, taming a stallion,” the blond went on.  
“Forgive me, (Y/N). I forgot to introduce you, this fellow is Link, he’s the knight sworn to protect the Princess,” Pruce said proudly. “And Link, this is (Y/N). She helps Roma run the farm where I get my goat milk and Hylian Rice to sell,” he continued.  
“It’s nice to meet you, (Y/N),” Link said holding out his hand to shake yours.  
“Likewise,” you said warily. “What’s with all of...that,” you said, pointing to a big bucket over the shop door.  
“That’s a trap for the thief that’s been such trouble,” Pruce explained while handing you your birds eggs. “Link just finished rigging it up.”  
“What’s it supposed to do?” You asked.  
“Dump a whole bunch of brightly colored dye on the thief when they activate a tripwire,” Pruce said, sounding proud of himself. “They won’t know what hit ‘em.”  
While Pruce was explaining all of this, you couldn’t help but notice Link having a troubled expression. He was looking at Pruce as if he wanted him to stop talking. Link then suddenly shifted his attention to you. He had caught you staring at him.  
“Well, I’d love to stay and chat, but I have other business to attend to,” Link said as he headed to the shop door. “Oh and Pruce,” he said, his foot out of the door, “don’t forget to set the wire tonight.”  
“Don’t worry, lad. I won’t forget. See you soon,” Pruce said.  
“I better get going as well,” you said wanting far away from this place.  
“Alright lass. Tell Roma I said hello!” Pruce shouted as you walked out of the shop. Link was nowhere to be found, you observed. How had he disappeared so quickly? You thought. It’d be best to not stick around.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YHC=Your hair color  
> YEC=Your eye color


	7. Personal Places

Reader’s POV: Chapter 7

“(Y/N)! I’m sorry about what I said earlier, I was just joking and I hope you’ll forgive me,” Roma shouted from the kitchen as you walked through the door. You just hummed in acknowledgment of her apology. You weren’t really in the mood to speak. Your thoughts were rushing around your head like the Cuccos when provoked.   
That Link guy was setting up traps to catch you. Of course, he didn’t know you were the thief, you hoped. The way he was looking at you, definitely suspicion. And how he looked troubled when Pruce was explaining the trap to you. You thought that all royal soldiers were dull. All they did was fight and sit around, right? Apparently not the Princess’ very own appointed knight.   
Since traps were being set up, was it worth it to steal from Hateno Village anymore? Probably not, you thought. But then what would that tell Link if the thieving just suddenly stopped after this trap being revealed to you? This situation was way more sticky than you were used to. Perhaps later today you’d come up with a solution to this problem.  
“(Y/N), I’m so sorry. I didn’t know that my comment would offend you like this,” Roma sounded so sincere.   
“What?” You said looking up from your breakfast.  
“The comment I made this morning, about you giving me a headache. I’m sorry,” she apologized again.   
“Don’t worry about it, water under the bridge,” you said waving your hand dismissively.   
“No, I will. I hurt your feelings and that’s not okay,” Roma was starting to get fired up.  
“Look, I was a little hurt, but now I’m not. I just have things on my mind, okay?” You explained, hoping she’d drop it.   
“Okay, but what has got you so wrapped up in your head, then?” She asked. At this point, you just wanted to say that yes you were still hurt from her comment just so she would apologize and shut up.   
“I met the Princess’ personal knight, okay?” You said, exasperated.   
“Really? Oh, my Hylia that’s amazing!” Roma shouted with glee.   
“I thought you hated royalty,” you smirked.  
“Well...it’s complicated. But was he as handsome as everyone says?” She had a mischievous glint in her eyes.  
“Uh, I wouldn’t say he’s handsome, more like… WAIT A FUCKING MINUTE,” you interrupted yourself. That little snake. She was up to something.   
At your outburst, Roma exploded with evil cackling.  
“You snake,” you accused. She got up and shot you a shit-eating grin. “Whatever, I’m going out. See you later.”  
“Come back before dinner, it’s your turn to cook,” Roma warned as you walked out the door.   
You walked by (Y/P/N) and he started to follow you at a canter. That’s what he did whenever you were outside. He would follow you around when you were feeding the Cuccos and Nova the goat.   
You didn’t really have a set destination. You just went wherever your feet carried you, your body on autopilot and your mind wandering. Apparently, you wanted to go into the forest, because that was where you were headed to. I could check out my tree, you thought. You could also get there safely because Link had slain those Bokoblins and it hadn’t been a Blood Moon yet.  
The whole time you spent getting to the forest, (Y/P/N) followed you. You could have ridden him, but you thought that he wouldn’t like it. Sometimes he just didn’t want to be manhandled and you respected that.  
You got to the place where the Bokoblin camp was. It didn’t look any different from when you and Link were there. Except there were boot prints leading from the bush to your tree that weren’t yours. In a panicked rush, you ran over to the tree and climbed it.   
Your stick was gone! It didn’t hold any significant value to you, but you used it to taunt the Bokoblins when you were bored sometimes. That blond little rat must have come up here and had a look. You went over to where you kept your thieving bag. It was still there, thank Hylia. If he had stolen it, bad things might have happened.  
When you had calmed down, you remembered. You walked over to the edge of your tree and looked down. (Y/P/N) was standing in the Bokoblin camp staring up at you. You waved. He whinnied. You laughed.  
You sat down and started to reminisce. It was just like yesterday you were watching Link take down those Bokoblins. The way his face looked as he analyzed things. Definitely an expert. But how did he get so good at archery? Was it hunting? Or was it becoming a knight? I’d like to be that good, you thought.   
You were still reminiscing when you heard (Y/P/N). You crawled over to the edge of your tree. He was walking around the camp and snorting. It seemed that he was bored.   
“Fine, you big baby. We’ll go home, but you’re carrying me,” you said, the last part in a sing-song tone.

Link’s POV: Chapter 7

After Link had exited the shop, he started to think. It wasn’t good that Pruce just started to rattle off to (Y/N) about their plans to catch the thief. She could be the thief for all he knew. But he didn’t, and that was the problem.   
Link didn’t have time to just sit and ponder about a thief, he had to go to Kakariko Village to discuss some things with Impa. She wouldn’t like it if he kept her waiting. Plus, he could do that on his way there. He jumped on his horse and was off.  
Link really hoped that the trap would work. He felt doubt, though. Maybe it was too simple. Maybe it was too easy to avoid. It didn’t matter though, as long as he tried his best.   
That’s what Zelda had always said to him. If he had failed or lost during a training session, he would get frustrated. He would spend many sleepless nights trying to perfect his combat. Zelda had started to worry for him, so she had decided to step in. She had sympathized with Link and his frustrations about not getting anywhere. How she would hit roadblocks in her research sometimes. That sympathy had helped her get to Link.   
They had become close friends. Close enough for the kingdom to become a rumor mill. Everybody had begun to suspect him and Zelda becoming a thing. It had gotten so bad that everybody Link or Zelda talked to would shoot them knowing smiles and whisper to each other. The King himself would even act strangely if Link and Zelda were in the same room. But whatever, Link thought, let them think what they want, it will never be a reality.  
After reaching the end of his musings with the public’s opinion, Link arrived at Kakariko Village. It was as beautiful and mystifying as ever. Whenever he looked at it, he had the desire to explore every nook and cranny; no matter how many times he visited this place.   
Walking through the village, he was greeted by all the locals out and about. Even the Cuccos he had helped gather gave little clucks in greeting. He looked over to the statues that usually had apples in them and saw Paya. She was kneeling in a praying position. Better not disturb her, Link thought.  
“Hello, Link,” Impa greeted as Link walked into her place.   
“Hello, Impa, I’m here to discuss the things you wanted,” he stated, standing in front of Impa.   
“Alright, but first I want to talk about you,” Impa said, crossing her hands in her lap.  
“Me? But...fine. What is it?” Link sighed in defeat.   
“You seem troubled, what is it?” She asked.  
“There’s a thief in Hateno Village. I’ve set up traps, but I don’t think they’d work,” Link admitted. Impa just gave a nod.   
“Yes, those things can be troubling. That may be what is dragging you down, or perhaps it is something else?” Was she planning on being his confidant? He was here on business, not gossip.   
“No…?” Link hesitated.  
“Very well,” Impa said, “but don’t let things get bottled up, or they’ll explode.” She gave Link a warning look.   
“Fine. I’m just tired of people assuming things, okay?” Link said, exasperated. Impa sighed.  
“I will drop the subject. Let us discuss what you came here for,” she said, changing the subject.   
Link couldn’t feel but like he had disappointed Impa. They were having a serious conversation about what was apparently troubling him. Link thought he was good at hiding what he was thinking, not with Impa, though. She had known him for a long time. At least he had sort of gotten what was bothering him off of his chest.


	8. Action

Reader’s POV: Chapter 8

After you had gotten home last night and ate dinner, you began to hatch a plan. Since that little mink had snooped through your stuff and had the balls to set a trap, you wanted to put him in his place.   
While getting dressed, you went through your plan: tonight, you’d sneak into Pruce’s shop and trigger the trap, on purpose. You’d then hightail it out of town to your tree. That would hopefully lure Link to you. That was it. You couldn’t think of what you’d you do when he’d get there. If he’d get there. Some other son of a bitch might be set to watch over and not Link. Maybe the last part will come to me later today while doing my chores, you thought.  
You went downstairs and into the kitchen. Roma was nowhere to be found, so you guessed you were cooking breakfast this morning. You weren’t that great at cooking meat, so you always cooked omelets with Hylian Mushrooms and Hylian Herbs. As you were just finishing them up, Roma walked in.   
“Omelets again today, I see,” she teased.  
“Shut up, they’re good, and you know it. In fact, you practically begged me to make them last week,” you shot back. Roma rolled her eyes and started to set the table.  
You put the cooking fire out and served the food.  
“So,” Roma began, “you seen that royal guard guy around lately?”  
“Nah, I think he rode out of town after we met,” you said.   
“Well, that’s expected. Since he’s the official Princess’ appointed knight and all,” she said, observing you. You gave a distracted hum in response.   
“Okay, you know what?” Roma started, furious. “You thieve, I get worried, you reassure me that it’s alright, and then they start setting traps in Hateno Village. What the fuck is up with that?!” Roma was furious. You stopped eating and stared at her in astonishment. She’s never yelled at you before. You decided to be cautious.  
“I’m sorry, Roma. But, and I know you’ve heard me say this a million times, I have a plan,” you said.   
“A plan?! A plan. You know what? Tell me,” she glared.   
“Okay, so you know that Link guy right? Well, it turns out he’s been doing a little bit of snooping by my tree, so I’m going to get revenge on him. Here’s how: I’m going to sn-”  
“You know what? I don’t care. Get caught. Go to prison. I don’t care. I’ve spent more than a fair share of worrying about you and you haven’t taken that into consideration,” Roma said as she got up and walked out. She was actually pissed, you realized. I will make this up to her, you thought.   
The rest of the day was spent outside, doing chores. There was a storm cloud hanging above your head. (Y/P/N) was following you around like usual. You shooing him away whenever he got too close to the rice field or the Cuccos. You could tell he sensed your sour mood because he was trying to periodically cheer you up. He’d bring you wildflowers from the field by your house and trot around trying to get you to chase him. It sort of worked.  
By high noon you had forgotten about Roma’s outburst and was chasing (Y/P/N) around. He was neighing and prancing around. You were dancing around him, trying to catch him and laughing. This was the most fun you’ve had with him yet! You then got an idea. You started to discreetly make your way to the river. It seemed that he hadn’t caught onto what you were doing.  
It wasn’t long before you were standing in the river patiently waiting for (Y/P/N) to approach. He had no idea what you were about to do. You were looking into the river, pretending to look for fish. He took those last few steps toward you, unaware. You turned around, quick as lightning, and splashed him in the face. He screamed and danced around, trying to drench you. You yelled in pure delight and tried to run away from him. You two did this for quite awhile.   
A few hours later, you were in the river fishing with your bare hands. (Y/P/N) was grazing in some nearby grass. You figured you’d fish so you had something special for Roma for dinner tonight. To make up for her worries. She may have yelled at you, but you were slipping up on the caution when thieving. Hyrule Bass was her favorite. Sure they were basic, but they were easy to find and catch. When you figured you had enough, you went over to (Y/P/N) and mounted.  
The smell of cooking fish filled the house, as well as the sound of sizzling. You were putting the finishing touches on the table when Roma walked in.   
“Hey, Roma! I’ve just finished setting the table, I cooked your favorite,” your tone was cheery, yet cautious. She looked at the table, then in the cooking pot. She said nothing as she sat down. At least she’s not yelling, you thought.   
You served dinner and you two sat in silence. Roma seemed to enjoy her meal as the scowl she had was gone. You looked outside. The full moon was rising over the mountains in a clear sky and you could hear crickets. The Sunset Fireflies were floating out in the fields, creating a mystical feeling. You see them almost every night but it didn’t matter, you always found the sight mesmerizing.   
“I’m sorry for my outburst this morning,” Roma broke the silence.  
“It’s okay. I know I’ve been losing caution lately,” you admitted. She hummed, got up, and left. Looks like you were cleaning up tonight.   
As you were cleaning the dishes, you began to think. This morning, you woke up with a burning passion for revenge. Throughout the day, it had died out as you had fun. But now, as you began to think again, your anger was slowly building. Link had invaded your personal space. Not only that, but he stole from you. Sure, you were a thief, but nobody steals from you, Spirit Stride. Of course, all you stole was tiny amounts of food and things that people would miss just a little bit. Nothing the big crimes would tremble for.   
You were angry, but were you angry enough to act tonight? You looked outside again. It was the full moon. It would be a while until you got this amount of light. Plus, you weren’t going to actually steal something. You were just going to activate the trap and lead Link away to revenge. You made your decision.   
In your darkest clothing, you snuck onto the road to Hateno Village. It would have been much easier and faster to bring (Y/P/N), but your plan wouldn’t have worked with him. You reached the entrance to the village. There was a guard, but he was asleep as always. He never learns, you thought as you snuck past him.   
Now that you were in the village, you made towards Pruce’s shop. You surveyed the area. No windows were lit. Hopefully, that meant that everyone was asleep. You approached the shop door. You knew exactly what was waiting for you beyond it. A bucket full of vibrant paint. It would stain your clothes the moment it touched them.   
You took a breath, turned the handle, and stepped through the threshold. A cold, heavy, and wet mass hit you. The force almost knocked you to the ground, but you held, enduring the waterfall. It was over and then there was the sound of an empty bucket hitting the floor. A light flickered on upstairs. This is my queue, you thought, turning around and running away.   
You could hear a dog barking as you were fast approaching the same way you came in. Then there was shouting. Then the guard stirred. He opened his eyes as you flew past him. He jumped to action and started pursuit. Too bad you were faster as you had the advantage of physics and years of running on your side. It was only a couple seconds before the guard gave up and got left behind.   
As you headed towards your tree, you glanced behind you. The paint was still wet, leaving a trail. Good, you thought, it will lead him right to where I want him. You got to your tree, panting. That was one of the more heinous runs you’ve made. But your mission was accomplished. Leave a trail of colorful paint from the thief’s trap to your tree for Link.   
You climbed your tree and took off your clothes. You put on your normal thieving clothes. You decided to then lie down. The sky was as beautiful as it always was. The stars twinkling and the crickets chirping. This was paradise. Screw a castle with velvet curtains and silken sheets. Staring up at the night sky on a cool night was pure luxury. And a luxury you had often.


	9. Games

Link’s POV: Chapter 9

Link had spent the night in Kakariko Village after his discussion with Impa. At the crack of dawn, he had set out for Hateno Village. Overnight while he was asleep, Pruce had sent a messenger bird saying the thief had triggered the trap but didn’t steal anything. Link had thought about staying for some breakfast but decided not to.   
Link didn’t waste time when on the road. He wanted to get there as soon as possible. He could have stopped to fight some monsters but didn’t. He liked to do that when traveling but now wasn’t the time.   
It didn’t take him long to reach Hateno Village. When Link got there, villagers were milling in front of Pruce’s shop.   
“Link! How glad I am to see you,” Pruce said, approaching him.   
“Likewise. What’s going on?” Link asked.  
“Well, I’d like to fully search the ‘crime scene’, but there’s a lot of people here and I don’t know how to tell them how to go away,” Pruce explained. Link nodded. He turned around.  
“Okay, everybody. Nothing to see here, go home,” Link raised his voice and made shooing motions with this hands. Everyone just turned to him with blank stares.  
“LEAVE!” He shouted. The people grumbled and started to disperse. He turned back to Pruce.   
“So, what, exactly, happened last night? Your letter was brief and hard to understand,” Link began.   
“Well, they triggered the trap. As you can see,” he pointed to the dried paint on the ground. “The weird thing is that when they entered, they slammed the door open as if they didn’t even intend to be stealthy,” Pruce finished, dumbfounded.   
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say this thief is trying to play games,” Link said to himself, mostly.   
“Games? But how?” Pruce asked.  
“Firstly, they slammed the door open, right? Then it looks like they just stood there and let all of the paint fall on them. And if you look beyond the door, there’s a trail of paint leading out of the village,” Link explained, pointing. But how could the thief know there was a trap set up? He thought. Unless…  
“Pruce, how many people knew about that trap?” Link asked.  
“Well, I told everybody who asked about it!” Pruce said. Naturally, Link thought. He put his head in his hands and shook it.  
“Is something wrong?” Pruce asked, worried.  
“No- well actually yes. You told a lot of people about this trap,” Link was getting a little angry. “But you know what? There’s obviously a path of paint leading somewhere. I’m going to follow it, goodbye.”   
Link walked away and started to follow the path of dried paint. It lead to the village entrance and beyond into the forest. He didn’t like where this was going. When he got into the forest, it was a little more difficult to follow. But he eventually came to where it ended. The Bokoblin camp, right up to that big tree. He stood there, thinking of what to do. He could climb it and see what was up there, but there might be a trap. Fuck it, he thought.   
Link began to climb the tree, his heart pounding. He didn’t get scared often, but this was one of those times. He grabbed the edge of the tree and hoisted himself up. He stood there, eyes closed and teeth gritted, waiting for an attack or something. Nothing happened. Link opened his eyes and there was nothing, nothing but a piece of paper on the ground. He blushed in embarrassment and picked up the paper.   
Bet you were expecting quite the surprise ;). But I’m not that stupid. You’re rarely beaten in combat, even when the enemy has the element of surprise. Only a fool would dare attack the Princess’ very own appointed knight. I’ve turned this into a game, wanna play? ~hehe  
What. The. Actual. FUCK. Link stared at the letter in astonishment. So he was right. The thief was playing games. Not only that, but the thief knew he was Zelda’s knight. But then, it was pretty much common knowledge. He sighed in defeat and sat down. This was going to be harder than he thought. 

Reader’s POV: Chapter 9

You woke up with a smile this morning. Not only because of the letter you wrote, but because you didn’t have any weird or scary dreams as usual. That was a good sign, you thought.   
Once you were done getting dressed, you rushed down the stairs and into the kitchen.   
“Well someone’s happy this morning,” Roma commented.   
“Oh, you don’t even know the half of it,” you said with a shit-eating grin. Roma snorted and continued to cook breakfast.   
“I hope you’re good with Spicy Simmered Fruit for breakfast,” Roma said as you began to set the table.   
“You planning a trip to Mount Lanayru?” You mocked.  
“Shut up,” she said. You laughed.   
When you were done eating breakfast, you went outside to get a head start on your chores. (Y/P/N) cantered to you and whinnied a greeting. You laughed and pet him.   
“I’ll boop your snoot!” You said, reaching for his nose. He let out a neigh of protest and strode away. You shouted in delight and chased after him.  
After you were done playing around, you got started on your chores. Feeding the Cuccos, feeding Nova the goat, and tending the little field of Hylian Rice. Nothing too difficult. Today it didn’t take you that long because you did most of the work yesterday. After you were done, you went inside.  
“Hey Roma, I’m gonna go out,” you announced.  
“Okay, be careful!” She shouted after you.   
You went up to (Y/P/N) and began to decide. You could take him with you and possibly blow your cover, or you could leave him here. It would be hard to leave him here because he followed you everywhere.  
“Okay, here’s the sitch,” you began, “I can’t really take you with me because you’d expose me and that’d be absolutely terrible. But if I don’t, you’d follow me anyways.” (Y/P/N) gave a grunt in response. “You know what I’m gonna do? I’m gonna take you with me, but your gonna have to graze in a nearby field. Deal?” You asked. He gave no response and kept grazing.   
When you two got onto the road leading to Hateno Village, (Y/P/N) started into a gallop without you having to spur him. It seems that he’s learned his lesson from last time. Within no time, you two were staring at the forest.   
“This is where I get off and you go graze,” you said, getting off of (Y/P/N). You dismounted and set off into the forest. You were cautious and quiet. You didn’t know what was going to be waiting for you when you got there, so caution was best.   
The closer you got, the more it smelled like a campfire. Please don’t tell me those monsters are back, you thought. It hadn’t been a blood moon yet, but it was completely possible that a different group of monsters could have moved in. You got behind a tree and peeked around it. There was a campfire and a Link poking at it.   
It worked! You had successfully lured Link to your letter. You looked again. Link was squatting and poking a stick at the fire. He had a sulking expression on his face. You had to suppress your laughter. You then sat there for a minute, thinking of what to do. You could go home and relish in your victory, or you could talk to him and secretly rub it in his face. You decided on secret gloating.  
“Oh, I didn’t know you were here,” you said stepping out from the tree in fake surprise. Link just gave a hum in response.   
“Whatcha doin’?” You asked. I hope I haven’t broken him, you thought.   
“Wallowing in defeat,” Link said.  
“Why?”  
“I didn’t catch the thief and now they’ve started to play games,” he sounded really melancholy.  
“Well, maybe if you played this thief’s game, they would focus more on it than actually stealing,” you suggested. He looked at you across from the fire.   
“Sure, and I’ve ridden the Guardian of Satori Mountain,” Link said.   
“It was just a suggestion,” you said. “But I do have a question, what is it like being the appointed knight of the Princess?” At your question, Link just sighed and continued to sit in silence. It seemed that he didn’t want to talk. Fine.  
“Well okayyyy. I’m gonna go, see you later,” you said as you walked away. Geez, what a buzzkill. You were just ready to gloat all over the place, but mister party pooper didn’t want to talk. Whatever, you could do it later, when he is in the mood to talk.


	10. Tea Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the slow update, the writing gods are fickle beings with fickle blessings. btw, this chapter is pretty much just reader and Link sassing each other and a little shorter than usual, so there's no real plot, so...sorry? Anyways I hope you enjoy! And if you do, feel free to leave a comment! :)

Reader’s POV: Chapter 10

You were out in the field moving some bags of rice around. Either for exercise or just trying to look busy. You couldn’t tell which one you were really going for. You gazed over at (Y/P/N), he was chasing his own tail. You watched him for a long time; long enough for someone to sneak up on you.   
“He looks bored.”   
“AAHH! WHOTHEFUCKDOYOUTHINKYOUAREEEEGETAWAYFROMMEEEEEEE,” you shouted, swinging a rice bag in random directions hoping to hit the intruder. You eventually stopped swinging the bag and looked at the person that spoke. That Link guy was crouched and laughing his ass off.   
“Oh my Hylia. You two make the perfect derpy pair,” he said during puffs of air.   
“Derpy pair my ass,” you whispered under your breath. “So are you done pouting or did you need another corner to go cry in?” You teased.   
“I’ve actually come to apologize,” Link responded, suddenly serious. “You wanted to talk to me about this whole thief thing, but I was acting like a Rito who’s pride got shot down. I’m sorry,” he said.   
“Okay,” you said.   
“Okay? What? I came to apologize, but it seems you don’t really care,” Link was confused. He was right about you not caring, as your gloating mood had died off after dealing with his pouting episode. But what was a good excuse?   
“Well, I, being the good samaritan I am, wanting to talk to the local Princess’ appointed knight about the local thief, but him blowing me off? Of course, I don’t care anymore, you were very rude to me,” you tried laying on the sarcasm real thick. Link gave you an annoyed glare. You just raised your eyebrow at him. He raised his finger and opened his mouth to speak to give some major sass, but before he could, Roma interrupted him.   
“I didn’t know we had a guest. (Y/N), why didn’t you tell me?” Roma said, walking up to you and Link. “Why don’t you two come in for some refreshments,” she didn’t give you two a choice of no as she ushered you towards the house.   
Once inside and seated, Roma started to talk.   
“So what were you two talking about in the field?” She asked, tea in hand.   
“Well, I noticed that (Y/N’s) horse was chasing his tail and was explaining to her that it means that he’s bored,” Link lied.   
“Actually,” you began, blowing on your hot tea, “we were sassing each other,” you finished, taking a sip. Link gave you a “what the fuck, (Y/N)?” look.   
“I could imagine. (Y/N) here is quite defensive of (Y/P/N) and the way she takes care of him; won’t listen to any advice I give her,” Roma explained, giving her tea a sip. You snorted in surprise spraying some tea everywhere. Link laughed at you and gave you some napkins.   
“(Y/N)! That wasn’t very lady-like,” Roma scolded. As if you acted like a lady, riding (Y/P/N) without a saddle and bridle, climbing anything you can get your limbs on, and chasing the Cuccos like a freakin toddler.   
All throughout the conversation, you and Link were trying to out-sass each other. If Roma had even known, you would both be in trouble. Discreet insults and definite one-ups were going everywhere. You did, however, stop with the one-upping as being the Princess’ appointed knight was hard to beat, plus you were at risk of giving away your dirty little secret. The conversation did last longer than you thought, after sunset in fact.   
“Well, it’s been nice, but I got to go...being the Princess’ appointed knight and all…,” he said standing up.   
“Ah, I hope you’ve enjoyed your time here. Come again soon!” Roma said as Link walked out the door. “Okay let’s clean up,” she stated, starting to collect plates.   
“ActuallyI’mgonnagosaybyetohimrealquickokayseeyou,” you said, running out of the door, avoiding chores like a champ.   
“So do you use that on everybody when you want to leave but don’t wanna seem rude?” You asked, catching up to Link. He just gave you the side eye and kept walking. “Oh, so you’re ignoring me now? I’ve figured out your deepest darkest secret, no need to be a sour Octorok about it,” you said playfully. Link stopped and turned to you. He stared. And continued to stare. “It’ll last longer if you paint a picture,” you sassed.   
“Do you know how to fight?” He asked suddenly. Was this dude going to attack you? And was guessing how easy it’d be?   
“If you plan to attack me right now, yes. If not, then not really,” you were cautious.   
“Meet me in that clearing tomorrow, you’re going to learn,” he said, ominously.   
“What if I don’t want to? Hmm? What are you gonna do then?” You figured you should stop with the sass, but once you were rolling, it was hard to stop. Link gave an exasperated sigh and started towards the road. This guy was hard to figure out, but maybe more time will change that.


	11. Training

Reader's POV: Chapter 11

When you woke up, you realized two things. One, you didn’t have any weird or creepy dreams and two, you weren’t too sure if you wanted to fight Link. It was just going to be a sparring session or whatever, but you didn’t want to be berated for never learning how to fight. You’ve seen what the soldiers at the training camp have to go through. Link has most likely gone through that, but hopefully he wouldn’t put you through it. You layed in bed for a couple more minutes thinking about how much you didn’t want to go.   
~~~

When you entered the clearing, Link wasn’t there. You stood there for a second baffled. He told you to meet him here to fight, why hasn’t he shown? He seemed to be a man of his word but you might have been wrong about that assumption. But then you noticed, it was awfully quiet; too quiet.   
Just as you went into a what you assumed a defensive pose, there was a flash of iron and Link was standing before you, sword raised.   
“It looks like you have a weapon. I initially planned on giving one to you, but this works too,” he explained. “Besides, where’d you get that Moonlight Scimitar?” He asked. You could give him a sarcastic answer, or the truth. But decisions are so hard, right?   
“I just got from someone named none of your beeswax,” you said, sticking your tongue out at him like a child. Link scowled and lunged. Your eyes widened and you jumped back from his blade. You acted fast, avoiding the sword, but in jumping back you fell on your ass. You looked up and Link’s blade was an inch from your nose. He had a shit-eating grin.   
“Victory!” Link shouted, he extended his hand to you. You took it, not wanting to seem like a sore loser. “And that’s why I want to teach you how to fight. You have excellent reflexes, but that’s about it.”   
“Gee, thanks, I’m awfully flattered,” you said. Link shook his head with a smile.  
“No, but really, where’d you get that Scimitar?” He asked again. Might as well tell him if he won’t stop bugging you about it.   
“I got it from a Gerudo woman named Ateri,” you explained. Link nodded and walked to the middle of the clearing. He beckoned you over.   
“Okay, we’re going to start with the basics. Things like holding a sword the proper way and correct stances,” Link started.   
“Wait,” you interrupted, “you’re not going to treat me like I’m enlisted in the soldier training camp are you?” You hoped to Hylia he wasn’t. Rough treatment wasn’t your forte. Mostly because for every ounce of rough treatment, you pounded back with a ton of sass and that has landed you into trouble more times than you could count.   
“Not unless you want me to. Why? ...Are you into that sort of thing?” Link finished cautiously. What the fuck.   
“The fuck is that supposed to mean?” You asked. You knew exactly what he meant. Feigning ignorance was your go-to way to mess with people. It was comedy gold, at least to you it was.   
“Uh, nothing. Let’s just get to training before lunch, okay?” Link said, changing the subject.   
Upon completing and demonstrating the basics, Link had asked if you wanted to focus more on defense or offense. You had picked defense because you figured you’d be best at it. Too bad you were so wrong. You were actually better at offense. But how? When you asked Link that question, he just shrugged and jabbed at you with his sword as if you weren’t trying to initiate a conversation.   
It was high noon. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky and birdsong filled the warm air. And you were sitting on your ass sipping some apple juice. Link was crouched by the campfire cooking some fish for lunch. It smelled amazing. Better than when you or Roma cooked it.   
“So Link, my man, why’d you want to teach me how to fight?” You asked, genuinely curious.   
“I figured you liked to roam around in these woods a lot and the Blood Moon is close to rising,” he said casually as if he wasn’t talking about the thing that literally resurrects monsters.   
“Bold of you to assume I didn’t know how to fight,” you said.   
“Bold of you to assume I hadn’t tested you for those skills,” Link shot back.   
“Damn, that fish smells good. Any chance it’s close to being done?” You said, ignoring his retort.   
“Maybe if you quit nagging than maybe it’d be ready right now,” he complained.   
“You expect me to be patient when it smells that good?” You mocked as Link handed you a dish of fish and mushrooms. You looked up at him in disgust. Mushrooms? Really?   
“That’s Energizing Fish and Mushroom Skewer. It helps replenish stamina. Eat,” he commanded. You took a cautious bite expecting it to be absolutely disgusting. You weren’t prepared for the full force of delicious Hyrule Bass and what you assumed a non-Hylian Shroom, those things were nasty. Link laughed at the surprised expression on your face and sat down to eat his own dish.   
As you ate your better-than-life skewer, you couldn’t help but think about Link. He was the Princess’ appointed knight. But what was he doing here, away from her and for so long? For all the times you’ve seen him, he hasn’t had his legendary sword. Where was that? You could just ask him about it, but it might offend him. Or he’d just get mad as you could imagine he’s probably been asked those types of questions a lot.   
You looked down at your food. It was really good, like unbelievably good. It had that perfect fish taste, not too much or too little. It had a hint of lemon and some Hyrule Herb. Not dry or burnt either. This guy was a great cook. Who needed to be second to royalty to eat like a king when you had cooking skills like that.   
Link’s relationship with you was a weird one. Your greeting was tense and worrisome, but your dynamic was legendary. The fact that you two were so casual to be sassing each other left and right despite not knowing each other very well. Also, him not being insulted by your sass? You two would make the perfect monster-kicking ass duo. A sassy thief and a royal knight? You’d read a book about that.   
“Are you going to sit on your ass all day staring at the skewer or are you going to get up and spar?” Link said, interrupting your thoughts. You grumbled and got up. Back to falling on your ass repeatedly while he tries to hide his laughter.


	12. Blood Moon

Reader’s POV: Chapter 12

You lie there in bed, unable to sleep. The sheets covering half of your body and your limbs thrown all over the bed; staring at the ceiling. The window was open and you could hear crickets from the fields surrounding the house. There was no wind, not even a breeze, so the air was stagnant. It was close to unbearable. The air was thick enough to make your skin sticky, but not to make you sweat outright. You let out a loud huff. It was obvious you weren’t going to get any sleep tonight.   
As you finished up lacing up your boots, you started to think. What should I do? You didn’t exactly want to go out thieving tonight. You sat there thinking in the dark. You couldn’t make any food, that would wake Roma and she’d not be happy about that. Then you decided. You’d go to that clearing that Link had taught you to fight in and practice.   
On your way to the clearing, you noticed that (Y/P/N) was acting...odd. He was acting like he was scared? Wary? Cautious? You didn’t really know. But you knew he wasn’t acting like himself and that was concerning. Not only that, but the night had a certain eeriness to it. As you got closer and closer to the woods, fewer crickets were chirping and fewer nocturnal animals were singing.   
You pulled up to right where you usually enter the forest and looked ahead with hesitation. You dismounted (Y/P/N).   
“Okay horsie, I’m gonna go in there...I guess,” you finished, not happy about it. (Y/P/N) gave a quiet whinny of concern. You ignored it and went into the woods. 

 

Link’s POV

Link was sitting at his table in his Hateno Village home staring into a cup of untouched wine. He wanted to drink it, but not really. It made him wonder why he even poured a cup in the first place. He looked over at his plate of unfinished Meat Skewer. He didn’t have the heart to finish it either.   
The calendar he religiously kept tabs with taunted him from the corner of his eye. Link got up and walked over to it. He stared at the date blankly. If he was right, and he usually was, it was the Blood Moon tonight. Every creature he or anyone had slain would come back. Link shook his head. No point in trying to sleep tonight. He walked over to the weapon mounts on the walls and took what he needed and headed out of the door.   
Making his way down the path to leave Hateno Village, Link gazed up into the sky. Just appearing from the horizon was the larger-than-life Blood Moon. At its peak was when the monsters would be resurrected. I better hurry, he thought.   
Link jumped into a fast walk. He had to get to that clearing before the monsters there came back. He wanted to get the element of surprise, it would make for a glorious advantage.   
Link gazed at the sky again. He couldn’t believe it. The moon had beat his trek and was almost at its peak. Link grit his teeth and started to run towards the clearing. He could go for another stealth strategy like last time, but what fun would there be in that?   
As Link approached the clearing, he knew that stealth would be useless and that the moon had beat him. He could hear fighting sounds from where he was. It seemed that the monsters had already been resurrected.   
Link slowed down and crouched once he got to a bush and gazed from it. The Bokoblins were fighting somebody but he could only see the weapon they were wielding. The mystery fighter’s weapon flashed in the now normal moonlight and he saw. It was a Moonlight Scimitar! It can’t be (Y/N)’s, can it? Link was starting to get a little worried.   
The stranger yelled and knocked a Bokoblin to the ground and stabbed it in the chest, making it disappear into purple smoke and dropping a horn and tooth. They then stepped in a patch of moonlight revealing themselves. It was (Y/N)! Link immediately snapped into action. He erupted from the bush yelling and brandishing a Royal Broadsword. He leapt for the nearest Bokoblin and engaged in battle.   
(Y/N) had killed one Bokoblin leaving two left. From what Link had observed in the bush, she had some difficulty with these monsters. Of course, these Bokoblins were blue, which made them a little more hard to fight than red ones.   
Link dodged a swing from his foe, allowing him to use his favorite move, Flurry Rush. Time slowed to almost a halt, except for Link. He was swinging faster than the speed of sound and landing hit after hit on the Bokoblin. With the last strike, time returned to normal and the monster gave a roar of anguish and puffed into purple smoke.   
Link turned to (Y/N) to see how she was faring. She was looking a little beat up, but the fire of determination burned in her eyes. The Bokoblin she was fighting was getting ready to swing its Spiked Boko Club. (Y/N) was too busy staring down her foe to notice, though. Link shouted a warning, but it was too late. The monster swung at her. She dived out of the way but not being completely missed by the blow. It had hit her thigh and she let out a cry in pain as she hit the ground. The Bokoblin raised its Club to deliver the final blow. Link had never felt rage quite like now. He drew his bow quicker than he had ever done, notched an arrow, and released. Before the Bokoblin could even begin to swing its weapon down, the arrow pierced its head. It was purple smoke before anyone knew it.   
Link ran over to (Y/N).   
“(Y/N)! Are you alright?” Link said, concerned. She was laying on her back and had her eyes closed. “(Y/N)?” Link said again, quieter.   
“For Hylia’s sake you gotta teach me how you did that,” she laughed a little. Oh thank Hylia, Link thought. He moved his attention to (Y/N)’s leg. There was a big bruise where she got hit by the bat. It seemed that she didn’t get hit with any spikes, which was good. Before Link could say anything, he heard heavy, thundering hoofbeats in the distance. It was the royal entourage.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was kinda fun to write! Also, sorry for the long wait, writer's block and all that fun stuff. Feel free to leave a comment and I hope you enjoy! :)


	13. Wrath

Reader’s POV: Chapter 13

You and Link kneeled there in the clearing watching an entourage thundering on the road through the trees. You looked up at Link. His jaw was clenched and he was expressionless. You looked back to the entourage. The realization hit you like a charging Hateno Bull. That was the royal entourage. No wonder Link looked so...distant.   
“Hey,” you said, gently. Link snapped out of his brood and gazed down at you. “Whatever the king is gonna do to you, I got your back,” determination shining in your eyes. Link gave a little smile and shook his head a little.   
“Well, we are the dream team,” he said, lighting up a little. It seemed the entourage was headed to Hateno Village so you and Link got up, collected the drops from the monsters, and headed towards Hateno Village. 

~~~

The King of Hyrule was standing with his arms crossed. Link was kneeling in front of him. One knee on the ground, head down; the way knights kneel. You looked to the Princess. She was on her pristine white horse, with a grim expression.   
You were hiding in some trees right by the Hateno Village entrance. Link had decided that that was the best place to intercept the royal party.   
There was a tall, red-haired woman next to the Princess. The only things you knew about her were that she was Gerudo and not Ateri. She also looked like someone not to mess with.  
“Link,” the King began, “you have failed. Not only as the destined Hero but as my daughter’s appointed knight as well.”   
“Father, don’t be so stern with him-”.  
“Silence!” The King shouted. At this point, you were getting a little angry. To you, it seemed like Link was just another royal slave to these people, nothing more. You really wanted to do something, but your conscious was warning you. This was The King of fucking Hyrule, he could have your head on a stick if you so much as look at him the wrong way. He commanded armies more vast than the fucking plains of Hyrule. But in this moment of him belittling Link, you just didn’t fucking care.   
“HEY!” You shouted, stepping out from the trees. Everybody turned to you. The King jumped in surprise, the Princess put her hand to her chest, the Gerudo woman raised an eyebrow with an amused expression, all the knights pointed their weapons at you, and Link raised his head. “I don’t know who the fuck you think you are, but there is no reason for you to belittle him like that,” you growled. The King blinked in surprise.  
“My goddess, a commoner, yelling at The King of Hyrule. Now I’ve seen it all,” the Gerudo woman spoke up. The Princess looked from the Gerudo woman to you with a worried expression.   
“Is that all you do, belittle those who serve you? Because that is not kingly. If anything, it’s cowardly,” you sneered. Link was looking at you like he wanted to tackle you to the ground and shut you up. The King looked taken aback. The soldiers were looking at the King, unsure of what to do.   
“How dare you talk to me like that, commoner,” the King said in a condescending tone. That just fed your fire.   
“How dare I talk to you like that? How dare you talk to Link like that. He may be a knight or some shit, but that’s no way to talk to anyone. Even if they fuck up.”   
“(Y/N)! Shut it,” Link warned.   
“By all means, allow this Novis to speak. This is the most entertainment I’ve had in weeks,” the Gerudo woman joked.   
“(Y/N)? Please leave while you’re able to. The wrath of my father is not something to invoke,” the Princess quietly pleaded with you. She must have heard your name from Link. You looked up at her. She was genuinely worried for you. You ignored her plea.   
“Unlike you, sitting on your big, fancy throne eating more food than this village produces in a year, Link was helping out here. If you didn’t know, because why would you, there’s a thief that’s been plaguing this place for quite some time. He’s been trying to catch them,” you kept going. At your stinging words, the King was looking down at Link with a thoughtful expression. Some of your fire was starting to subside and you were running out of things to say without repeating yourself.  
“What do you have to say for yourself, Link?” The King asked.   
“She’s right. About me helping out with a thief here,” he said, quietly. The King made a thoughtful hum at Link’s statement.   
“Please, father, stop this. Link was just trying to help,” the Princess interjected.   
“He may have been trying to help, but his sole duty is to you, Princess,” the Gerudo woman said.   
“Urbosa does have a point, Zelda,” the King said.   
“But Urbosa was with me in the desert!” The Princess refuted.   
“It was the Blood Moon! Link is supposed to be at your side at all times!” The King shouted, suddenly angry. The Princess backed off and hung her head in shame. What you presumed to be Urbosa was inspecting her nails. The tension was so thick, it could be cut by a knife.  
“Look, we’ve all had a long day. I suggest we stay at this village until morning,” Urbosa piped up. Without confirmation from the others, she drove her horse to a canter towards the village gate. Everyone reluctantly got on their horses and followed suit.   
You started to sneak away, thinking you had been forgotten and your fire snuffed out.   
“You, commoner girl! You’re coming with us,” the King ordered. You cringed and started to follow the royal entourage. As you walked behind the party through Hateno Village, you tried catching Link’s eye. It seemed that he didn’t want to, or was just trying to ignore you. After a while of not being able to, you gave up and walked the rest of the way with your head down.   
When the party got to the Inn, you looked up and Link was looking at you, furious.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another inconsistent update yay!! (I'm sorry) Anyways I hope you enjoy! Comments are always appreciated :)


	14. Unintended

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's been a month since I last updated and I'm sorry. At the beginning of this story, I didn't want to become someone who only updated once a month, but that doesn't matter. I hope you enjoy.

Reader’s POV: Chapter 14

You sat on a bed across from Link. He was glaring at you and you were surrounded by guards. After some time of nothing happening, you folded into a mock pout with your arms crossed and a silly expression. Link just glared harder, if that was even possible. You threw your arms up in the air in exasperation and started to pout for real.   
The voices of the King, the Princess, and Urbosa were muffled behind a wall. Too muffled to make anything out. You looked up at the guards. They had their backs turned to you and were staring straight ahead. You surveyed the room, looking for anything to use as a distraction. Or perhaps you didn’t even need one. As quietly as you could, you started to scoot towards the wall the royals were behind. While you were doing so, Link eyed you suspiciously but didn’t move to alert the guards. You silently thanked him for that. Just when you were about to put your ear to the wall, the door opened and the entourage walked in.   
“It seems that we cannot come to a definite decision on what to do with this...commoner,” the King announced. He looked down at you like he was trying to decide on which runt to kill from a litter of hunting hounds. Urbosa rolled her eyes and walked over to a bed near Link’s. The Princess followed but sat next to Link. She put her hands in her lap and gazed down. The King examined the room, sighed, motioned to the guards, and turned around into the room he just came out of. When the door closed, Urbosa got up.   
“Well, this is quite the situation. A knight neglecting his duty and a commoner with stupid bravery. How are we supposed to know you two aren’t partners in crime?” Urbosa mock-accused.  
“Urbosa!” The Princess gasped. It seemed she didn’t quite catch Urbosa’s joke. At the Princess’ outburst, Urbosa laughed. Link shifted in his spot, looking uncomfortable.   
You didn’t know what to think of Urbosa and the Princess. Urbosa was the leader of the Gerudo people, you knew that much. She seemed to carry herself as if she and everyone around her knew how deadly she can be but didn’t take it too seriously. The Princess was...quiet. It was the kind of quiet that was underestimated, though. The kind of quiet that held wisdom and was more observatory than stuck-up.   
“So tell me, commoner, what is your name?” Urbosa asked, interrupting your ponderings. You could give her the answer she wanted, or you could dig your grave deeper. Damn, these decisions were getting tougher and tougher.   
“(Y/N),” you said simply, not having the fire to be a little shit anymore.   
“And the thorns have withered,” Urbosa commented as she walked over to the bar to get a drink. Link huffed and tried to hide his smirk. You glared at him.   
The door to the private room opened and the guards marched over to your bed and stood there. The King came out of the room and stood in the doorway.   
“It has been a long night, for all of us. I suggest we all sleep on the events of today and come up with something tomorrow,” without confirmation from anyone, the King went back into the room and shut the door.   
At the King’s “suggestion”, everyone began to get ready for bed. Except for the guards. They just stood there, probably guarding you. Link gave you a side glance and rolled over onto his side, his back to you. Then the lights went out.   
You sat in the dark, not knowing what to do. Sleeping wasn’t an option, you always had nightmares on the nights of the Blood Moon. You laid down, pretending to sleep until you could come up with a plan. After a while, you heard quiet rustling. Quiet footsteps followed the rustling and then the creak of the Inn door opening and closing. You laid there, pondering over what to do.   
You slowly and silently sat up and looked to the guards. They had their backs turned to you. But you couldn’t tell if they were asleep or not. You looked to the other side of you, there was a window. You quietly got up from the bed and opened the window. At the slight creak it gave, you cringed and gazed behind you. Nobody had stirred, good. You lifted the window the rest of the way up and climbed through and jumped down to the ground below. You looked up at the open window. There’s no way you could close it to hide your escape, but running away from the already deep hole you’re digging yourself could be considered a special talent at this point.   
“A thieves’ behavior is always easier to predict than a cheater’s,” Urbosa said. You turned around and a pretty impressive blade was pointed at your chest. You put your arms up in surrender. She slightly thrusted the blade forward, forcing you to back up against the building.   
“So, what are you gonna do?” You asked, cocky. Urbosa’s eyebrow rose. She gave a slight chuckle and sheathed her blade.   
“You have fire, and that’s good, but you need to learn to control it.”   
“Oh please, great Mistress! Teach me your ways!” You practically shouted, giving an exaggerated bow.   
“Do not mock me, Divis!”   
At her command, you stiffened. It was as if you were a trained dog. Urbosa breathed in deeply and looked off into the distance, relaxing from her outburst.   
“There is something about you, (Y/N). I can’t quite put my scimitar on it, but it is something,” her words trailed off. After she had said that, her eyes had a glassy look come over them, as if she was no longer in reality. You sighed and gazed at Mt. Lanayru. Even in the darkness and pale moonlight you could make out the Three Cedars. You and Urbosa stood there, daydreaming out of reality not noticing time going by.   
Your stampede of thought was interrupted when you heard a light thud. You whipped around to the direction and Link was standing there, glowering. Urbosa fell to a casual stance from her defensive one and sheathed her scimitar. She chuckled a little at Link’s expression. Link walked over to you and crossed his arms quite comically. You laughed.   
“Well, despite these grim circumstances, you two seem to be enjoying yourselves,” Urbosa mocked.   
“What do you expect? We’re the Dangerous Duo, nothin’ gets between us!” You snarked. At that ridiculous nickname, Urbosa burst out laughing and Link had the expression on his face like he just ate some dubious food. You snickered.   
Suddenly, there was commotion in the Inn. Frantic movement could be heard and then a shout.   
“My King! Link and that commoner girl escaped, Urbosa is nowhere to be found either!” A guard shouted. You and Link froze, not knowing what to do. Urbosa grabbed both Link’s and your hands and ran.   
“Why are we running!? Won’t this just make us look guilty?” You shouted to Urbosa.   
“You and Link are already on thin ice, something like ‘escaping’ would break it. Do you know what the highest punishment in Hyrule is?” She asked calmly. And you did know what the highest punishment was, death by hanging. But would the king really hang the appointed knight to protect the Princess? Probably not, but the king also wouldn’t hesitate to hang a commoner girl.   
You examined the path ahead and saw that Urbosa was taking you to the village gate. As you were approaching the gate, you could hear hoofbeats. Apparently, Urbosa heard them too, as she stopped and thrust you two forward as hard as she could.   
“Go! Run! I’ll try to hold them off!” She shouted, pulling out her scimitar and a shield.   
“But where will we go? What will we do?” You asked stopping.   
“Just go! Link knows what he’s doing, follow him or death is certain,” Urbosa said with finality and turned around, scimitar glinting in the moonlight. You were gonna ask what “or death is certain” meant, but Link yanked your hand and started to run, dragging you. You then ran with him and looked back. Urbosa’s scimitar seemed to have an unearthly glow to it.


End file.
